Repost: The Big One

[Bekah]

On Jul 13, 2008, at 7:01 PM, malignd at aol.com wrote:
>
> Just wondering: do you have any knowledge of IG Farben or the  
> Ludlow massacre outside of your reading in Pynchon? If not, your  
> taking his point of view to argue for the correctness of his point  
> of view.


I  don't know Farben but I've known about Ludlow for a long time  
(high school?)  and like Laura said,  there aren't too many ways to  
nuance the morals unless you go back to the good old standard "What's  
good for business is good for America."   Pynchon did that on page  
1001 with Scarsdale's little talk to the L.A.H.D.I.D.A meeting.   (heh)

Pynchon may not dwell on making sure all sides get serious, un- 
satirized equal opportunity (and risk being morally ambiguous) ,  but  
I do see some nuanced metaphorical references to the light/dark -  
black/white issue - example:

  Page 1009
Light as torture / darkness as compassion
"The Colorodo militia were in fact giving light a bad name.  Military  
wisdom had it that putting searchlights on the enemy allowed you to  
see them, while blinding them to you, giving you an inestimable edge  
both tactical and psychological. In the tents, darkness in that awful  
winter was sought like warmth or quiet.  It seemed like a form of  
compassion. "


Bekah